Optical fibers are widely used in telecommunications applications because of their wide bandwidth and ability to carry signals for long distances. An optical fiber cable may carry a plurality of individual optical fibers. Each fiber, in turn, can carry digital or analog signals over a relatively long distance without requiring amplifiers. In addition to providing such backbone communications, optical fiber cables are also being used to drop high bandwidth signals to groups of subscribers or directly to individual subscribers Such drop cables are typically low fiber count cables which are connected at one end to a trunk distribution system, and at the other end to electronics which convert the optical signals to electrical signals.
There may be occasions where it is desired to splice an optical fiber cable, such as for repair or installation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,732, for example, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses an in-line splice closure for an optical fiber cable. The patent discloses a cylindrical core having tapered ends extending between first and second ends of the splice closure. The fiber slack is positioned on a sheet, such as of polymeric foam for cushioning, and the sheet is wrapped around the core. Accordingly, the minimum bend radius of the optical fibers is not exceeded as the slack fiber forms a pair of helices of opposite handedness. A heat shrink sleeve may be placed over the tube and fibers to complete the splice closure. Unfortunately, the amount of slack that may be stored is somewhat limited in that the slack must follow a helical pattern.
Copper wire cables are also widely used for communications. The copper wires are typically arranged in twisted pairs to reduce the effects of noise. The twisted pairs may also have a relatively large bandwidth for short distances, as may be the case for drop cable applications.
There are so-called hybrid or composite optical fiber and copper wire cables that combine the benefits of both technologies, such as for subscriber drop applications. One such hybrid cable includes two cable portions, one for copper pairs or signal conductors, and the other for optical fibers, and wherein both cable portions are enclosed within a common outer jacket or sheath. The signal conductor cable portion typically includes a metallic shield and an overall plastic jacket. In addition, the optical fiber cable portion typically includes a central buffer tube surrounding the fibers. A typical hybrid drop cable may contain from 2 to 6 twisted pairs of signal conductors, and from 1 to 4 optical fibers, and an overall plastic jacket.
Although the splice closure described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,732 represents a significant advance in a compact and rugged splice closure, it has no provisions for splicing or connecting the signal conductors of a hybrid cable. Unfortunately, conventional splice closures for either optical fibers or signal conductors are not readily adapted for such hybrid cables, especially where a relatively compact splice closure is desired, and wherein the bend radius of the optical fibers may not be exceeded.